Roundabout having seating means journaled about a predetermined bearing arrangement



p 1957 L. T. JONES 3,33

ROUNDABOUT HAVING SEATING MEANS JOURNALED I ABOUT A PREDETERMINEDBEARING ARRANGEMENT Filed om. 25, 1964 ISSheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

- INVENTOR LAWRENCE T. JONES Sept. 5, 1967 L. T. JONES ROUNDABOUT HAVINGSEATING MEANS JOURNAL-ED v ABOUT A PREDETERMINED BEARING ARRANGEMENTFiled Oct. 23, ,1964

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LAWRENCE T. JONES MURRAY .S'CHAFFER ATTORNEYSept; 5, 1967 L. T. JONES HAVING SEATING MEANS JOURNALED ROUNDABOUTABOUT A PREDETERMINED BEARING ARRANGEMENT 1964 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledOct. 25,

INVENTOR LAWRENCE T. JONES MURRAY sc/MFFER ATTORNEY United States Patent3,339,919 ROUNDABOUT HAVING SEATING MEANS JOURNALED ABOUT APREDETERMINED BEARING ARRANGEMENT Lawrence T. Jones, Olney, Ill.,assignor to American l'Vlachine & Foundry Company, a corporation of Newersey Filed Oct. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 405,991

3 Claims. (Cl. 27233) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotational amusementapparatus including a stationary vertical standard having a pair ofspaced bearings mounted thereon and a plurality ,of seating members eachcantilevered at one end from the standard and journaled thereabout. Theseating members each include upper and lower journal members mounted injuxtaposed groups and fastened together about the respective bearings.Lever means are coupled between the standard and each of the seatingmembers to rotate the seating members about the standard.

This invention relates to a new and improved orbital device ormerry-go-round especially adapted but not limited to use by children.

The present invention comprises generally an upright standard upon whichare mounted horizontal arms or members each having a seat at the endthereof and includes means for the operators to manipulate for rotatingthe members about the standard as a center, whereby the operators whirlabout in a circle.

An object of the invention is to improve the manufacture and mechanismsinvolved in this device so as to make it simpler, sturdier, and moreeconomical.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of providingnew and useful means for easily adding or removing arm members for saytwo, four, or more operators, and also so that the device may be easilypackaged in a relatively small container whereby the device may beeasily assembled and set up ready for use by the purchaser.

Another object is to provide the device with a stationary standardhaving a fixed eccentric at its upper end.

The arm members, provided with outer-most seats, being pivotablycantilevered from the standard, and provided with a lever means membercoupled to the eccentric to cause rotary motion when operated .byoccupants in the seats. To this end, each member is a cantilevereddownwardly U-shaped panel having a closing arm, the panel tapering indepth from the standard to the operators seat, and being aflixed atupper and lower positions adjacent the standard to a support platerotatable about bearings on the standard.

As another object, each member is matched with an oppositely extendingcantilevered arm with its own support plates rotatable about thebearings on the central standard, to provide ease of manipulation aroundthe bearings.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention,including the features of construction, arrangement and combination ofits parts will become apparent from the following description of apreferred embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus assembled for fouroperators;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary and partly sectional elevation of themeans for coupling the various parts to the standard;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lever upper arm connections taken on line33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partly sectional plan of the lower arm and leg couplingstaken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a partly lengthwise view, on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, showingthe pivotable coupling of the operating handle to the rotatable memberand the operating lever arm.

The main support element of the apparatus comprises a vertical tubularstandard 1, whose lower end is above the ground support, the standardbeing supported by a number of frames 2, preferably numbering four inthis case, for stability and support.

Fillet welded to a lower and the bottom portions of the standard 1 aresquare upper and lower plates 3 and 4 to which each frame 2 is bolted.Fixed to the upper plate 3 are four tubular legs 5, each leg at theplate being fiattened and held to the plate 3 by bolts 6, the leg endsmeeting the standard 1 and having mating bevelled corners 7 to aid inpreventing lateral movement of the legs 5 relative to one another. Thelegs 5 slope downwardly and terminate in telescoped plastic end caps 8.In the vertical plane of each leg 5 is a bar or leg brace 9 having itsupper end bolted at 10 to the lower plate 4 and also sloping down to anend portion of its associated leg 5 to which it is secured by a bolt 11.

Cantilevered from and horizontally rotatable about the standard 1, abovethe legs 5, are four arms or members 12, these being spaced equallyabout the standard 1. Each member consists of a downwardly U-shapedchannel 13, the upper web 14 extending horizontally, and the lower end15 tapering up outwardly from the standard 1. A seat 16 for a user issuitably bolted at 17 to the outer end of each member 12. The lower oropen end of each channel 13 is fitted with a strengthening tube 18 whichis held to the channel flanges by a number of countersunk head rivets19.

The horizontally rotatable support for each of the members 12 is a pairof cylindrical bearings 20, 21 around the standard 1. Each member 12ends closely to the standard 1 and its upper and lower portions arerotatably journalled about the bearings 20, 21 by each being bolted toseparate upper and lower support plates 22, 23 for each member 12, theplates being four upper and four lower and journalled about the bearings20 and 21.

Each support plate 22 is rectangular and all are assembled againstrelative rotation by bolt and nut assemblies 24 passing through them.Extending outwardly from each plate 22 is an integral horizontal leg 25to which the web- 14 of the associated member 12 is riveted at 26. Thecorresponding lower plates 23 are equally held against relativedisplacement by bolt and nut assemblies 27. An integral leg 28 extendsoutwardly and slightly upwardly from each plate 23 to meet a flattenedend portion of tube 18 to which the leg is bolted at 48.

The effect of the foregoing member 12 supports is to make each member acantilever supported at its upper and lower ends adjacent the standard 1by separate plates 22 and 23 journalled about the upper and lowerbearings 20 and 21. The bolted assembly of upper plates 22 and lowerplates 23* forbid relative rotation while permitting rotation about thebearings 20 and 21. Consequently, members 12 and their aflixed supportplates 22 and 23 may be added and removed, just as desired, withoutotherwise altering the operation of the device, simply by temporaryremoval of bolt and nut assemblies 24 and 27, as will be describedhereinafter.

At the upper end of standard 1 is telescoped a tube 29 which isremovably held by a through bolt and nut ashorizontal eccentric leg orplate 31 through which extends upwardly a weld pin 32, the cap of whichis welded to the underside of plate 31. This eccentric pin 32 (relativeto standard 1) mounts a tubular bearing 33 around which are journalledthe fiat ends 34 of push-and-pull rods 35, one such rod 35 beingassociated with each seat for an operator. The upper end of the pin 32slidably receives a fitted cup 36 over which is removably telescoped alight fixture 37. A cap nut 38 atop the pin 32 holds the eccentricassembly in place. I

A separate lever is provided for each occupant and each is coupledthrough a rod 35 to the eccentric pin 32, so that the rotary componentsare pulled around by each occupant due to the eccentricity of each leverconnection with respect to the standard 1, the center of rotation. Thehandle and foot means, now to be described, is easily oscillated by eachoccupant to effect push-and-pull movement of each rod 35 to cause therotation of each seat carrying member 12.

Oscillatably coupled by a bolt-and-nut assembly 39 through the bottom ofmember 12, that is, through the bottom of channel 13 and arm 15, andoperatively reachable from the seat 16, is a handle and foot assembly40. The assembly 40 is comprised of two tubular spaced arms 41 outsideof member 12, the lower ends 42 terminating in outwardly extending legrests 43, and the upper portions 44 curving outwardly and then inwardlyand integrally to form a handle 45. The outer end of each tube 35, whichtube extends substantially horizontally, is coupled between the arms 41,just above member 12, by means of a bolt and nut assembly 46. Washerplate 47, between the outsides of tube 35 and the inner faces of arms 41provide for substantially frictionless movement as each handle and footassembly 40 is oscillated to rotate the members 12.

Note that upon addition or removal of a seat 16 and its member 12 asdescribed hereinbefore, the associate handle assembly 40 and theconnection of the push and pull tube 35 to the eccentric pivot 32 areeasily added or removed by temporary removal of the stop nut 38 and thebolt 30. Also observe that the temporary removal of a few bolts and nutsis all that is required to effect this major alteration.

The extent of the invention is not restricted to the described andillustrate dembodiment, but is equivalent to all equivalentconstructions within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rotational amusement apparatus, a stationary vertical standard,a pair of vertically spaced cylindrical bearings on said standard, aneven multiple of seating members, each seating member extendingsubstantially horizontally and cantilevered at one end from saidstandard, a pair of vertically spaced upper and lower journal members oneach seating member and each received around a respective one of saidbearings, the upper journal members of said seating members beingarranged in a first juxtaposed group and the lower journal members ofsaid seating members being arranged in a second juxtaposed group, saidseating members being aligned in diametrically opposed pairs with meansfastening together the journal members of at least one of said groups toprevent relative movement between the journal members of each of saidgroups, and lever means coupled between said standard and each of saidseating members and hand operable to rotate the seating members aboutsaid standard.

2. A rotational amusement apparatus in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe journal members comprise a plurality of upper and lower supportplates arranged in juxtaposed upper and lower groups and each groupbeing journaled about a corresponding bearing means on the standard.

3. A rotational amusement apparatus in accordance with claim 2 whereinthe individual seating members and affixed support plates may be readilymounted to the standard without affecting the operation of theapparatus, said fastening means being readily removable to permit suchmounting.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,668 8/1919 Bourdon et a1.27233 2,499,164 2/1950 Richardson 272-33 2,542,745 2/1951 Wilson et a127233 2,606,763 8/1952 Wilson et al 27233 2,739,811 3/1956 Persons 272333,043,590 7/1962 Horowitz 272--33 3,172,659 3/1965 Daleiden 272-33FOREIGN PATENTS 640,831 7/ 1950 Great Britain.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A ROTATIONAL AMUSEMENT APPARATUS, A STATIONARY VERTICAL STANDARD,A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED CYLINDRICAL BEARINGS ON SAID STANDARD, ANEVEN MULTIPLE OF SEATING MEMBERS, EACH SEATING MEMBER EXTENDINGSUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY AND CANTILEVERED AT ONE END FROM SAIDSTANDARD, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED UPPER AND LOWER JOURNAL MEMBERS ONEACH SEATING MEMBER AND EACH RECEIVED AROUND A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAIDBEARINGS, THE UPPER JOURNAL MEMBERS OF SAID SEATING MEMBERS BEINGARRANGED IN A FIRST JUXTAPOSED GROUP AND THE LOWER JOURNAL MEMBERS OFSAID SEATING MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED IN A SECOND JUXTAPOSED GROUP, SAIDSEATING MEMBERS BEING ALIGNED IN DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED PAIRS WITH MEANSFASTENING TOGETHER THE JOURNAL MEMBERS OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID GROUPS TOPREVENT RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE JOURNAL MEMBERS OF EACH OF SAIDGROUPS, AND LEVER MEANS COUPLED BETWEEN SAID STANDARD AND EACH OF SAIDSEATING MEMBERS AND HAND OPERABLE TO ROTATE THE SEATING MEMBERS ABOUTSAID STANDARD.